Barcelona might have had the ease of possession but the same could not be said on the chance creation front. Granada stood up and were counted as their aggressive medium block defense aimed to strangle the home side’s interplay in Barcelona’s fresh-faced system. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter Munnelly. Quite a lot has […]
Cagliari has been one of Serie A’s biggest surprises. Under manager Rolando Maran, they have been able to overperform expected goals to an extent that has rarely been seen before. In their last three games – all losses – the inevitable regression raised its head, but how did Cagliari obtain such a “cheat-code” in the […]
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side once again showed a fluid and relatively well-structured possession game which allowed them to dominate the first half against Manchester United. Goals from Nicolas Pépé and Sokratis Papastathopoulos gave Arsenal a 2-0 lead at half-time. Similarly to the loss against Chelsea, Arsenal were nowhere near as dominant in the second half. […]
After an intense initial fifteen minutes, Flamengo managed to keep the ball and outshot a passive Liverpool throughout the first half. In the second half, a more intense Liverpool evened out the tables, with both teams trading direct attacks. However, Flamengo ultimately lost steam and failed to change the game state with their substitutions, and […]
During the first half, Real Madrid’s pressing game suppressed Barcelona’s offense, except for the unruly Messi and Sergi Roberto. Real had a hard time however to create good chances despite their tactical dominance. In the second half, Ernesto Valverde evened out the tactical tables with his adjustments, creating a come-and-go in which both teams ultimately […]
Just a week before Christmas, LaLiga gives us the gift of a Clásico. What are the game plans of both teams? What wingers should Zidane use to best compensate for the absence of Eden Hazard? What will be the key individual duels in the game? In this preview, we’ll try to answer these questions and […]
As Napoli triumphed over Genk in a scintillating win that reminded fans of what could have been, the curtains closed on Carlo Ancelotti’s Neapolitan experience. Expectations were not met, pieces of the puzzle detaching progressively as time passed, until the decision to part ways paved the way for Gennaro Gattuso’s chance. What exactly went wrong […]
Much of the first half of this Manchester Derby was defined by Manchester United’s quick transitions. Manchester City had promising attacks of their own, but their defensive intensity was below usual standards, which partly allowed United to go 2-0 up within thirty minutes. City made slight adjustments to stem the flow of counterattacks and attempted […]
During the first half, Atlético’s medium block and pressing trap approach dominated Barcelona, reducing them to a single shot in thirty minutes. With a small tweak in midfield and an adjustment to Messi’s position, Barcelona started overcoming the Atlético block. In the second half, an increasingly tired Atlético conceded counterattack opportunities that ultimately led to […]
During the first half, River nullified Flamengo’s offense through a compact and intense pressing block while also being efficient in scoring one of their few chances. Flamengo made better use of the wings during the second half to overcome an increasingly tired River press but struggled to score, until Gabigol punished two mistakes by River […]